Mission & Vision Statement

Concordant with the values and objectives of The Institute for Clinical Social Work, the Joseph Palombo Center for Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Social Work is an interdisciplinary center whose:

Mission is to maximize the effectiveness of mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults through the integration of neuroscience and psychoanalytic social work by offering educational opportunities to professionals and the lay public.

Vision is to enhance the mental health of children, adolescents, and adults by integrating neuroscience and psychoanalytic social work.

Contributions to Mental Health

The Center promotes clinical education and practice as Joseph Palombo inspired generations of clinicians to question and think about their clinical work. Palombo’s unique contributions to theory and practice offer new ways to understand human development. Additionally, his contributions to understanding neurocognitive challenges and the necessary accommodations for living in the world have increased the empathy and understanding for the neuro-atypical person.

The Center provides a forum to push academic and neuroscience research findings into the mainstream of the helping professions. The Center’s mission is an effort to translate and disseminate neuroscience research to all mental health professions. The Center’s programs and communications efforts are a unique contribution serving many disciplines.

While pushing “cutting edge” knowledge, the Palombo Center’s clinically focused educational programs encourage all the helping professions to engage in critical thinking about their particular fields and practices. The Center seeks to promote collaboration and innovation while while stemming the flow of fuzzy thinking and insufficient information.

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Fellowship Opportunities

In 2021, the Palombo Center created a Fellowship Program for Ph.D. students enrolled in the clinical social work program at ICSW. ICSW students can apply through a competitive process to become a Palombo Center Fellow. The 2021- 2022 Palombo Fellow explored how a somatic focus on complex trauma may contribute to a more profound understanding of race, diversity, and equality practices in clinical social work.

Doranna Tindle: Year as Fellow: 2021-2022

Doranna Tindle is a mother, clinician, teacher, and transformational leader committed to helping others heal through their bodies and stories. Guided by a lifelong empathy for those in need, she has dedicated her career to creating healing spaces and empowering communities affected by poverty, trauma, and addiction. Her work, whether in education or leadership, focuses on fostering dignity, opportunity, and transformation, driven by a passion to alleviate human suffering and build a more inclusive, supportive community.

Alexia Camfield, LCSW-S, has been practicing psychotherapy, consultation, and clinical supervision in Houston and The Woodlands, TX, for over 26 years. She holds dual B.A. degrees in Art History and Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.S.W. from the University of Houston. Now in her third year of a Ph.D. program at the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago, Alexia is a Joseph Palombo Center Fellow researching the role of detachment in affect regulation and relationships, integrating neuroscience with psychodynamic theory.

Alexia Camfield, LCSW-S:Year as Fellow: 2022-2023 & 2023-2024

Hannah Klawes interned at the Joseph Palombo Center for Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Social Work at ICSW, collaborating with experts in the field. With years of experience working with neurodivergent adolescents, Hannah, a proud member of the neurodivergent community, is passionate about providing accessible treatment tailored to the unique needs of neurodivergent clients, while also addressing any past harm from therapy. As a member of the queer and trans community, they are equally attuned to the specific needs of these clients in their care.

Internship Opportunity

In 2021, the Palombo Center partnered with the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago to provide a first-year master’s student in social work an internship at the Center. Last year’s intern worked closely with a JPC advisor to engage in the public dissemination of neuroscience discoveries and actively translating these discoveries into social work training and practice. Additionally, through our affiliation with the Institute for Clinical Social Work (ICSW), the student was provided hands-on, meaningful social work practice experiences with extensively trained social workers and psychologists.

Hannah Klawes - Intern 2020-2021

Sabina Lumesberger is a 2021/2022 social work intern at the Joseph Palombo Center and a first-year Master’s student at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Originally from a small town in Austria, she holds a Bachelor's in Social Work from the Management Center Innsbruck and a Bachelor's in Political Science from the University of Salzburg. Before her program at UChicago, Sabina worked in an assisted living project with unaccompanied minors in Salzburg.

Weiqi Zhong - Intern 2022-2023

Sabina Lumesberger - Intern 2021-2022

Weiqi Zhong is a graduate student at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work and an intern at the Institute for Clinical Social Work. Previously, she worked as a counselor’s assistant in China, where she provided psychological screenings, followed up on students with suicidal tendencies, and created mental health content for a counseling firm’s social media. Weiqi aspires to focus her career on clinical therapy, specializing in adolescent mental health and resolving family conflict.

Founding Executive Director

About Joseph Palombo

Joseph Palombo is a clinical social worker.

He is the Distinguished Director Emeritus, of The Joseph Palombo Center for Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Social Work, Founding Dean and Faculty Member, Institute for Clinical Social Work, Chicago, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (IL).

The Board of Trustees of the Institute for Clinical Social Work established the Joseph Palombo Center for Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Social Work to honor Joseph Palombo for his dedication and devotion, over the 55-year period of his career, to the improvement of the lives of children, adolescents, and adults with neurobehavioral problems and to furthering the education of clinical social workers.

Joseph Palombo was born in Cairo, Egypt and immigrated to the United States when he was 19 years old to pursue his education. He matriculated to the New School for Social Research, in New York City, a home for progressive thinkers which provided opportunities for deep inquiry, not at all surprising that Joe enrolled at this school (1954). He continued his education at Yale University where he received a Master’s Degree in Philosophy (1957).

With this foundation, Joe moved to the Midwest to attend the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. During this time, he met and married Dorothy Denton, also a social worker whose career path led her to be a recognized community activist and esteemed agency administrator. Throughout their 60-year marriage, Joe and Dottie nurtured and enriched each other’s professional and personal lives.

Among his honors are:

Honorary Member, American Psychoanalytic Association.
The Establishment of the Joseph Palombo Center for Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Social Work, at the Institute for Clinical Social Work
The Pearl H. Rieger Award, Rush Neurobehavioral Center for having made a significant contribution to the lives of children with neurobehavioral issues.
Doctor of Humane Letters, Institute for Clinical Social Work, Chicago.
The Edna Reiss-Sophie Greenberg Davis Chair, Reiss-Davis Child Study Center.
Recognizing Outstanding Profession in the Field of Child/Adolescent Mental Health.